can't let go so soon
by Karin Serendipity
Summary: A couple days after Harry Potter destroys Voldemort, Hermione and Ron have trouble sleeping. While nightmares haunt Hermione, Ron suffers from insomnia. How will they solve this problem?  Rated T. More chapters later.
1. can't let go so soon

While Ronald Weasley was attempting to sleep off the angst of the war, Hermione Granger was in the room that used to hold Fred and George Weasley; she was in a very light state of sleep, it had been hard for her to fall asleep and now it was difficult for her to stay asleep. Ron was suffering from insomnia, or so it seemed, the cup of herbal tea that he had made to help him had went cold. The radio that had kept both Hermione and himself sane was upstairs with Hermione, although right now, Ron needed it more than anything so his nerves could be calmed. The redhead looked down at the tea before he pushed it away from him deciding that he wouldn't be able to drink it cold as it was; he didn't want to get up to make another cup either.

Hermione had decided that the twins' room would be the best place for her to sleep and push everything that had happened in the last couple of days to the back of her mind so that she would finally be able to sleep. It had worked, well, it had worked to an extent; she felt like she could wake up at any second as nightmares attacked her left and right—

_and the snake, she comes with purpose as she pulls back to strike Ron. She is going to strike him and Hermione can't do anything to make it stop. She is just going to watch; as they tumble backwards into the rubble and Ron clutches onto her oh-so-tightly she can see what is coming even though she is crying with her eyes closed as tightly as she can manage. In the back of her mind, she has no faith for anything to save them… this time, nothing does. The sword isn't wielded by Neville and he hasn't came to their rescue, instead, the snake strikes and Ron's blood splatters onto her—it is warm and the only way she knows that it is his blood is the horrible, putrid smell that blood has and the warmness and wetness of it as it hits her while he hisses in pain—_

"Ron!" From her lips it comes, it is a perfect scream. It awakes Ginny with ease and the rest of the Weasley household avert their eyes, because they expected this out of someone. Ron was startled at the beautiful sound of her voice, but it was such a distressed, worried tone that sweat sprang to his forehead as terrible thoughts ran through his head; what if something had gotten to her? What if it wasn't over? No, he would not think those things, instead he would force his exhausted body to go up the stairs and go to her side. He needed to reassure her that he was still alive; that she was still alive.

As he walks into the room that instantly causes tears to spring to his eyes, he remembers Fred. The thought of Fred is instantly pushed away as he catches sight of Hermione, who is stuck between the world of dreams and reality; he frowns deeply before he is at her side clutching at her hand. Her chest is rising and falling at a rapid rate and Ron can't help but think of how beautiful she is. "Hermione, wake up." The simple whisper has her eyelids fluttering, before they finally manage to stay open. She looks into his eyes before she bursts into a fit of hysteria. Ron holds onto her for a long moment before she lightly pushes him away and takes both of his hands in hers.

"Ron, I was so terribly afraid. I thought you had perished. That dumb snake… Nagini—" As she began to get tearful again, Ron silenced her by pulling her back into a hug. His heart was beating so quickly; the pain of the past few days still weighed heavily atop of them. The memories would take a while before they wouldn't be haunting them; maybe they would always haunt them… Ron didn't like the sound of that, but he thought that in 19 years or so that one or the other would be waking up screaming for the other. "Ron…" Hermione whispered his name into his ear as she clasped her arms around his neck.

Ron couldn't help but smile, "I love you, Hermione." He buried one of his hands into her mess of hair; his heart fluttered in his chest as they just held each other. It was a sweet moment and the nightmare was dissipating from Hermione's mind as he slowly tucked her back into bed. He didn't await for her reply, instead, he started to make a bed on the floor next to her; he stole some bedding and blankets from the closet and made a comfy—well, as comfy as a mess of blankets on the floor can be—bed for himself. He didn't let go of her hand; he fell asleep while holding onto her hand tightly.

The last words he heard before finally falling asleep was, "I love you too, Ron."


	2. don't close your eyes

"Fred."

_No Ron, please don't... You finally fell asleep. _Hermione bit her lip and painfully-tearfully-looked upon Ron's facial features; he was in pain even while he slept. The name that had fallen from his lips hit her where it hurt-where it mattered. Her hand reached out to cradle one of his and successfully snatched it up. A strand of her hair was hanging in her eyes and she pushed it back while she settled next to his bed with pursed lips.

Ever since the battle against Voldemort, Hermione had been spending her time with the Weasleys; that meant that she had been living there. She had planned to go back and remove the charm that she had cast upon her parents, but for now, she was sticking by the Weasleys-especially Ron. Every night was growing hard for each of them; sleeping was such a hard task nowadays, because in her dreams, that damn snake got Ron and now, it seemed like Ron couldnn't handle Fred's death. Hermione didn't think that he could comprehend it, because of how everything happened so quickly.

"George, get Fred. Help him."

_Ronald Weasley, stop that, please. _The room was uncomfortably cold and she pulled at her sleeves trying to warm herself. A shiver ran down and then up her spine; she closed her eyes as she accepted another shiver. Hermione came to the realization that it was close to freezing in this room. The only reason she hadn't noticed before was because she had been wrapped in a blanket, but as Ron had started to talk in his sleep, she had shed the blanket and went to his side.

"'Mione, you cold?"

Her eyes were suddenly open and she looked into Ron's beautiful, captivating eyes; a soft smile formed on her lips. The cute petname that he had formed for her made her heart beat a little faster. He let go of her hand, only to put a hand under the edge of the blanket and lift it up invitingly. His gesture was asking her if she would like to share his body heat; she happily nodded and settled herself next to him and under the blanket. "Thanks, Ron. I thought you were sleeping though." After a second she decided to add, "Where you having a nightmare?"

She thought she saw him shrug, but then again, she wasn't completely sure. He opened his mouth to talk, but then promptly shut it again, rethinking what he was about to say, "I was dreaming about Fred." And that was all there was to it. It wasn't a nightmare, no, it was a dream about Fred. There was a pain in her chest as she realized that that was all there was to it, nothing more. Ron wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her as close as possible. "You warming up?"

She nodded and then let a yawn slip out; a yawn was something that happened often, but this was the first time that she had yawned and felt tired at the same time. She didn't only feel tired, she felt exhausted like she could collapse. "You are alright, right?" Hermione found herself worrying about him; he had lost one of his siblings, and not only that, but one that he was especially close to; one that she had been close to. He shrugged, because saying that he was alright was a lie, but he had been in a worse condition before.

His lips softly touched her forehead as a sigh came from her lips, "Try to get some sleep, Hermione?" He was at a point where he was begging the poor girl to get some sleep, because he knew what the insomnia and the inability to stay asleep; he knew it well. Hermione nodded as she cuddled against him; the warmth of his body heat was enveloping her quickly.

"You too; I worry about you, Ronald. I want you to get some sleep." With that, Hermione's voice drifted off for she had fallen into a light slumber, while Ron was still laying there with a smile on his face, because he had successfully managed to get her to sleep. Now, he had to stop her from worrying about him. He closed his eyes hestiantly.

_Realiity was so much better than dreams; it hurt to close their eyes. _


End file.
